Representative Koutoujian Receives Public Health Council Award - 02/13/2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 13, 2008
Contact: Kathleen Skarin
617-722-2130
Kathleen.Skarin@state.ma.us
Recognition comes as a result of work on hospital-acquired infections
Boston – In a ceremony before the Massachusetts Public Health Council today, State Rep. Peter Koutoujian, House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Health, was honored with an award by Department of Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach for his work on reducing hospital-acquired infections in the Commonwealth.
“Addressing the life-threatening impact of hospital-acquired infections is one of the most pressing concerns facing the health care community today,” Koutoujian said. “I am proud of the work we have done on this issue in the Public Health Committee. It is important that we increase awareness across the Commonwealth and within our communities as the numbers of incidents increase at an alarming rate.”
Koutoujian was the first to hold statewide hearings on this issue and just recently teamed up with Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona to launch “Strike Out Infection”, a national program to help prevent staph infections.
"Chairman Koutoujian's early leadership was instrumental in the department's crafting and passage of regulations today to reduce hospital acquired infections. We're proud to recognize his contribution today," Commissioner Auerbach stated.
- Nationwide, approximately two million hospital-acquired infections and 99,000 associated deaths occur annually, leading to $27.5 billion in additional health care costs annually.
- In Massachusetts, more than 45,000 patients suffer from hospital-acquired infections a year, adding approximately $437 million annually in avoidable health care costs.
- In 2005, nearly 8 out of every 100 patients in Massachusetts may have acquired an infection while in the hospital.
- Healthcare-associated infections include surgical wounds, urinary tract-infections, bloodstream infections and pneumonia that can occur as a result of relatively common procedures.
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